Spare tire is retained by a cable. Cable end failed. Tire came loose and rolled into busy traffic, sending vehicles swerving to avoid it. Very nearly caused a serious accident. Had this been at night, or on a busy freeway, there could be serious consequences to having 50 lbs of wheel and tire let loose on the freeway. From internet newsgroups, this appears to be a frequent problem and a design flaw. Cable is about 1/4 inch thick, and once it fails there is nothing (no retaining bar or other safety feature) to prevent the spare wheel from dropping into following traffic. I am so thankful no one was hurt this time, but want to make sure ntsa is aware of the problem. Thanks.

- Irvine, CA, USA

The inserts, which hold the roof rack to the roof, came loose while driving on the highway with luggage on the roof. Had I not further tied the luggage to the front bumper, I believe that the roof rack could have come loose from the roof, with potentially severe consequences to other vehicles. I did talk to the dealer when I returned from the trip, but the vehicle was out of warranty by that time, and they said that they did not know how to repair the problem.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

At highway speeds luggage rack separated from the roof of vehicle, causing damage to the vehicle.

- Marquette, MI, USA